Tag Archives: dog training

Since we are the best electronic (shock) collar trainers in Northern Virginia, we often get asked about the affects of electronic collar training. It is not actually a “shock” at all (as some people call it), it is actually a very low level stimulation, much like stim pads that physical therapists use.

Due to the ever increasing numbers of animals, especially dogs, that are being dropped off at shelters or abandoned in the streets, scientists have taken task to determine what and why so many of man’s best friend continue to wander the streets. Of course, all signs point to behavioral issues to many other scientists have begun to study causes and effects of bad animal behavior and also have created studies to investigate techniques to rehabilitate such less than pleasing behaviors. One such study was that of Dr. Steiss and her team, which focused on the effects of the usage of electronic collars to control barking.

Dr. Steiss and her team wanted to find out whether or not electronic collars had a lasting physiological effect on the dogs who wore them. The team also wanted to find out if the use of electronic collars would improve the behavioral tendencies of dogs, perhaps creating a sort of “cure” that would turn more people to try to train their dogs unruly behavior instead of just turning them over to the nearest shelter or letting them out onto the street.

What Dr. Streiss and her team concluded is that electronic collars, when PROPERLY USED, are an extremely effective tool in reducing and altogether eliminating excessive loud barking in dogs with unruly behavior. In addition to this, Dr. Streiss found no lingering or permanent effects on the physiological nature of the dogs they tested.They found that the amount of barking was reduced even by the first day that the test dogs wore the electronic collar. By the second day, the team had concluded that the learning effect of the test dogs was immense, that the dogs quickly learned to link the electronic correction with the barking, therefore correcting the behavior. The team did note that on day one of the two day study, the dogs registered increases in blood and salivary cortisol levels but the results were not conclusive enough to state that this rise in levels was only due to the wearing of the electronic collars.

Therefore, Dr. Streiss and her team were able to confirm that the use of electronic bark collars in attempting to train dogs is an effective and safe method. Other similar studies including a study from German researched Dieter Klien came to conclude upon similar results. His study states that given the low dosage of electronic current, just barely enough to correct the dog and given that the electronic correction only occurs for such a short period of time, that the effects of the electronic collars could not possibility include any organic damage to the animal. These findings only exist to prove the correctness of the findings of Dr. Streiss and her team. So despite the overwhelming and sometimes falsified data that exists that advises against the use of what some call “inhumane” forms of training, it can be seen through numerous tests, including the one of Dr. Streiss, that the use of electronic training devices such as electronic collars actually have a positive effect on the dogs in that they achieve a faster learning rate in overcoming bad behavior like excessive barking (among other things).

Additionally, by being able to humanely and effectively correct these issues, these dogs are able to have happy lives with their family. This is a much better alternative than getting rid of the dog, dropping it off at a shelter, or causing the dog to be put down. Those are the “truly” inhumane things.

Please note that electronic collars should only be used by trained professionals. If you do not have experience with using electronic collars, you should never attempt to you train your dog on your own.

Interested in world renowned electronic collar trainers? Contact us at Off Leash K9 Training!

http://www.offleashk9training.com or 888-413-0896 or info@offleashk9training.com

Service dogs are an invaluable asset to many people. They provide support in many different ways for people living with disabilities. They can provide help with daily tasks such as picking up objects, assisting with crossing the street, or providing emotional support. Service dogs help with a variety of things, and with a variety of health conditions. There are many services that a service dog can provide to individuals. There are some great service dog training centers in Northern Virginia that may help you in your search for a service dog.

Service dogs are specially trained to help people with disabilities, whether physical or intellectual. These dogs live with the person so that they may be more independent. They begin their training when they are around 12 to 18 months old. They are raised and train in a person’s home that are referred to as “puppy raisers”. They teach the puppies everything they will need to know to help a person with any type of disability.

When the puppies are about 18 months old, the Northern Virginia service dog trainers use an approach to training that allows the dogs to think about what they are learning. They also enjoy their work more as a result. When they have completed their training, we spend hours with the owner and we have them do everything numerous times with their dog. This ensures that the new owner is completely confident in how to handle the dog and what to expect. This also allows the potential owner to ask any questions he or she may have regarding life with a service dog.

Service dogs usually fall into three different categories, based on the types of needs they were trained to assist with. There are physical assistance dogs, Autism service dogs, and Diabetic alert dogs.

Physical assistance dogs are used with people who use a wheelchair either on a part time or full time basis because of balance issues or coordination.

Autism service dogs are matched with a child between the ages of two and ten. Their main job is to improve a child’s safety. Parents and the child’s teachers are included in the training and details of the dog so that the dog can be a part of their education plan.

Diabetic alert dogs are very helpful in that they are trained to detect when a person’s blood sugar is out of balance. They can alert their owner so that he or she can take necessary steps to get their blood sugar back to normal.

Service dogs are so beneficial to many people. They make their lives safer, easier, and more manageable. They give people freedom they may not have without the help of the dog. Northern Virginia service dog trainers are happy to train these dogs. They know that by training them to help others, they are making a difference in so many people’s lives.

If you live in Northern Virginia, own a German Shepherd and would like to get it trained, there are various competent options available to you in the State.

Training Issues

The common issues faced by German Shepherd owners are jumping, pulling on the leash, hyper-activity and mouthing, there is a possibility of private classes in dog training in Northern Virginia. Our private classes are useful as they teach the dog on how to behave when there are distractions. The owners are given full support and guidance from our skilled staff at our Northern Virginia dog training facility. They will look after various issues that involve mouthing, nipping or housebreaking.

The centers for German Shepherd training in Northern Virginia will teach your dog important words such as ‘Sit Down’, ‘Come’, ‘Place’ and ‘Heel’. This gives a solid foundation to the training base and it motivates socialization during the playtime of your German Shepherd dog. During the course of basic obedience while training, they will show the dog appropriate behaviour that is required for it to become a member of your family that can also be well-mannered. It will be shown how not to pull on the leash. It will also be taught the basics of how to be polite when instructed to `meet and greet’.

Care during Training

German Shepherds will generally take to growing up as guard dogs in a natural way. It is critical that they should be taught how to be obedient to their masters. They are natural watch dogs and their bark is enough to caution you. The type of bark will also alert you whether it is something standard or unusual. Training a German Shepherd is a matter of high concern and enough care should be taken to check that there are no misguided attempts to make the dog more aggressive. This can happen through abuse or lack of soclialization and it may backfire as the dog is not likely to be kind to the person who is treating him or her roughly. If training is not given properly, the dogs may become fearful and go out of control. They will also not respond correctly in situations that are actually non-threatening.

It is, therefore, important, for the German Shepherd dog in Northern Virginia to get trained in a friendly environment and learn to be well-socialized, clear-headed, and obedient!

See over 50+ German Shepherds we have trained at our facility in Northern Virginia:

Celebrity dog trainer in Northern Virginia, Nicholas White, who is the owner of globally recognized dog training business, Off Leash K9 Training, set his second world record for the most off leash commands performed in just 5 days of training; during his private 5-day training program in Baton Rouge, LA with Belgian Malinois Molly and her owner Paul Burns, White spent over 40 hours working with Molly and Burns – setting a new world record for 14 commands outside and off leash in just 5 days, according to the World Record Academy.

Photo: During his private 5-day training program in Baton Rouge, LA with Belgian Malinois Molly and her owner Paul Burns, Celebrity dog trainer Nicholas White White spent over 40 hours working with Molly and Burns – setting a new world record for 14 commands outside and off leash in just 5 days. (enlarge photo)

Celebrity dog trainer, Nicholas White, who is the owner of globally recognized dog training business, Off Leash K9 Training, set his second world record for the most off leash commands performed in just 5 days of training.

During his private training in Baton Rouge, LA with Belgian Malinois Molly and her owner Paul Burns; during White’s 5-day training program, White spent over 40 hours working with Molly and Burns – setting a new world record for 14 commands outside and off leash in just 5 days.

With Molly being a high drive and high energy Malinois, White said that teaching her the “watch” command was the most difficult command to teach her. “Watch” requires a lot of attention and focus from a dog, which is more difficult for high energy dogs.

“Molly was afraid of loud noises, so we spent a lot of time working with her to get her over her fear of fireworks and loud noises.”

“The average dog would take weeks or more to be able to master 14 commands outside, off leash, with distractions. An amazing training system; combined with consistency, time, reinforcement, and a highly intelligent dog, Molly was able to master these in only 5 days.

Molly’s owner, Paul Burns, said, “I truly cannot believe everything Molly has mastered in such a short amount of time.”

As you can see in our 400+ videos on our YouTube Channel, we never use the “stay” command; however, the dogs do not budge despite us running around them, cars driving around them, dogs walking around them, etc. This is because we train the dogs “properly;” meaning, when we train our dogs, we teach them that when they are given a command, they do not move until they are released from that command (we use the word “break”).

When people are using the stay command, I often times see/hear them essentially giving 20+ commands in order to achieve an extended sit or down. An average scenario is, the owner (or trainer) tells the dog to “sit,” as they walk away, you hear them saying, “stay..stay….stay…stay….stay..” So, essentially, you just gave your dog 7 commands in order to get them to sit and not move until being released.

So, if you tell your dog to sit, just walk away, if they get up, put them back in the sit. As soon as they wait for a few seconds, say “break” and then play with them. As they get the concept better, leave them there long, get further away, etc.

Essentially the dog learns, “If I get up before I hear the word break, you just put me right back into the same command.” So, by doing this, they teach themselves to “stay there” until they hear the word “break.”

In order to do a proper introduction, there are some key elements that should be adhered to:

First: Before you let the dogs approach, do NOT assume the other dog is friendly with dogs (or people). This sounds like common sense, right? You would be surprised. We train over 65 dogs per week at our facility, many of the dogs are coming to us because of dog aggression, people aggression, etc We always warn the people leaving, “Do not go up to this dog coming in or let your dog go up to him.” People see a Golden Retriever, Lab, etc and just automatically “assume” that it’s friendly. Always ask!

Second: If the owner does give the approval, both of you should do a controlled approach to the each other’s dog. Do NOT just the dogs drag you to each other, remember, you need to show your dog that “you” are in control of the situation. Put them in a heel and stop them (and make them sit) just a couple feet from each other. If you are not able to do this drill, then first you must address your dog’s obedience training.

Third: “Break” (release) your dogs and let them start to sniff each other, you should try to keep minimal to zero tension on the leash. If they feel tension on the leash, this could actually add tension and stress to the dog and make the situation worse.

Fourth: Watch BOTH dogs’ body language! You should be looking for any aggressive signs from either dog. You can read about this in detail in my blog on “Dog’s Body Language.”

Fifth: Try to keep the dogs moving a little and slowly around each other. Again, stiffness in dogs can be because of tension or stress. So, try to keep them moving a little bit, also, this ensures that there is no tension on the leash.

Sixth: I always recommend “one-on-one” approaches with other dogs. I would never let 3, 4, or 5 dogs meet all at once. It would almost be impossible for you to control this situation. You would almost have a “dog park” scenario with multiple dogs, and you can read the blog to see why I think dog parks are a horrible idea.

On a daily basis, we hear, “I need to correct my dog’s bad behavior.” If you look at our YouTube Channel you will see literally hundreds of dogs performing flawless obedience.

People contact us daily and say things like, “Your obedience training looks really amazing; however, I just really need to correct my dog’s (insert any behavior issue here). So, can we just work on this or fix this, I don’t care that much about the obedience stuff.”

I always tell people, “I have never in my life seen a dog that was amazing in obedience that had a lot of behavioral issues.” So, they completely go hand-in-hand. Doing a structured obedience training program with your dog will naturally fix many issues; additionally, your trainer can show you how to fix those specific issues while doing the obedience.

Additionally, when using a balanced approach of training (e-collar, prong collar, chock, etc), I am a HUGE advocate against using any of these devices just to “correct” a behavior. This is NOT the proper way to use any of these training tools. By doing this, your dog learns to associate the training device as strictly a punishment, and they will grow to hate/fear it. The dog should learn that these are training tools which gives them freedom, confidence, and a balanced approach of training. They should not learn that they are strictly used for a punishment/correction; unfortunately, this is how many people improperly use these training devices.

So, do not approach training in order to try to correct a specific behavior, you should approach training in order to have a well rounded, confident, happy, and obedient dog. I talk about this more in-depth in my blog post on “Do no make training a last resort.”

At our dog training in Northern Virginia, people find out on a daily basis that our obedience program naturally fixes their dog’s issues; however, we can also address specific issues while doing our dog training program.

The first thing I have to get you to realize is that your puppy is not doing this out of malice intent. I hear all of the time, “I cannot believe he chewed through the cord of my flat screen TV.” Keep in mind, your dog does not know that it’s a 65″ flat screen TV cord that he chewed through, he thought, “Here is a rope to chew on…” So, for your sanity and your puppy’s well-being, keep that simple fact in mind. 🙂

The good news is, there are a lot of things you can do to mitigate this behavior:

1. “Puppy Proof” your house! It’s always funny to me that when people have a baby, they go through all of these lengths in order to baby-proof the house. This is done so the baby doesn’t hurt himself or get into something they shouldn’t. However, nobody does this for their new puppies! So, “puppy proof” your house! If your pup is in a room, put up all the shoes, cords, etc.

2. In my book, “Raising the Perfect Dog: Secrets of Law Enforcement K9 Trainers,” I recommend that the average dog should be in the crate when not directly being supervised until about 1.5 years old. It drives me crazy when I hear (weekly), “When I got home, my dog had destroyed my couch!” I always say, “How old is your dog?” They usually respond with something like, “6-months old…” What do you expect?! Would you leave your 2-year old home alone and expect them not to get into anything? No. I say “average” dog because some dogs can be faster than this, and some slower (just like kids).

3. You have to teach your pup what is his and what isn’t his. This is done be exchanging/redirecting. Anytime your dog has something that he shouldn’t (shoe, cord, sock, etc), tell them “No” and remove it and then exchange it with something that they CAN have. This is how the dogs learn what is theirs and what is not. Often times, owners say, “NO” and just remove the object and that’s it. So, the dog never really learns what they CAN play with.

4. Obedience Training: This is probably one of the most important and effective things you can do in order to get your dog on the right path. As I say, “I have never seen a with zero obedience training that was an angel in the house.” This gives them confidence, correction, discipline, structure, and pack leadership.

5. Mental and Physical Stimulation: Remember, “A bored dog is a destructive dog.” If you do not give your dog a job to do, they will become self-employed. A self-employed dog will always cost you money.” Work with your dog on obedience, detection, protection, exercise them, etc. All of these things will greatly reduce your dog getting into trouble around the house.

If you follow these easy principles and steps, you should notice a great reduction in your dog’s chewing/destroying behavior.

At our dog training facility in Northern Virginia, I am a huge advocate AGAINST doing in-home dog training. As I say on a daily basis, “I have never seen a dog that has impressed me in obedience, that did it through in-home training.”

I have said this phrase for years, and despite us training 7 days per week, 65 dogs per week, I STILL find it to be true. Unfortunately, thousands of people (and their dogs) every year find this out the hard way.

The problem with in-home training is that you are training your dog in “their” environment! Meaning, it’s the same smells, same sights, same distractions, same territory, etc. As many dog owners find, it’s pretty easy to get your dog to listen IN their house; however, as soon as you take them outside and off leash, they take off running. Why? Because it’s a new environment for them to explore, sniff, and new things for them to see.

If you have a trainer show up at your house every week for 8 weeks (or more) and conduct the training at your residence, I can guarantee you, as soon as you take your dog to a “realistic”(new places, distractions, etc) environment, they will not listen.

We literally see this on a daily basis for dogs that are brought to us to “actually” get trained. We train your dog IN a new environment: new smells, new sights, new distractions, etc. So, when you get your dog used to listening in a new/realistic environment, it’s very simple for them to listen in their own environment. However, if you get your dog used to listening in his/her environment, as soon as you take them to a realistic environment, you are essentially starting from scratch!

Think about this for a moment, ALL OF THE TIME, you hear people say, “My dog listens okay in the house, but as soon as he’s outside and distracted, he doesn’t listen at all!”

However, you have NEVER heard someone say, “My dog listens flawlessly outside, off leash, with distractions, but he doesn’t listen inside the house.”

So, that is the single most important reason that we are against doing in-home training with your dog.

If you’ve ever walked down the street and passed someone who’s walking their dog on a leash, you know that apprehension that can be felt by strangers when an unknown dog is nearby. You’re not sure whether “spot” is a friendly, or if he wants to take your leg off. At offleashk9training, we know exactly how you feel. That’s why we specialize in training dogs from all walks of life, how to be the best behaved dog on the block. You will see on our YouTube Channel, we have everything from 6lb Chihuahuas to 160lb Great Danes.

In Northern Virginia, as in other parts of the country, winter moves on into spring, and as the weather warms up more and more people start walking outdoors or enjoying the park with their four legged friends. Usually it’s not a problem, unless someone has a not-so-well behaved dog that isn’t on a leash. That is what’s so nice about our dog obedience training programs at our facility in Northern Virginia. We will train your dog for everything from basic obedience, all the way through advanced obedience training. You’ll literally have the best trained, and most well behaved dog on your street with a set of our obedience classes.

Not to mention that the behaviors your dog learns work just as well when he’s off a leash, as they do when he’s on. So how does all of this translate into a better community? At offleashk9training our techniques are so affective you’ll be able to walk around comfortably and confidently, knowing that your dog will obey your commands time and time again. And whether you take him to the park, the beach, or a backyard barbecue; you can rest assured that his training will always be superb.

Now imagine if everyone took their dog for training at offleashk9training. No leashes, no fuss, just well behaved, polite, friendly, four legged canines who follow their handler’s commands without fail, every time. No worrying about your children running around the neighborhood. And in Northern Virginia the neighborhoods can be big, with lots of dogs and puppies. There is no worry of them jumping up on strangers, chasing animals, or going after other dogs.

No matter where you live, whether you’re in an urban sprawl in New York, of a suburb in Northern Virginia, or the most rural parts of Florida, your dog needs the training that we at offleashk9training can provide. If only to save yourself the headache of someone saying they got bit by your dog, or scratch or barked at, etc. I recently illustrated this in my post on “Don’t Make Training A Last Resort.”

Don’t you want the control that great obedience training instills in each canine? The authority to command your dog to “come” and “sit” when and where you tell him to? Give the trainers at offleashk9training a call and get started today!